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Dr Rafiq has been featured in the Express & Star for his work in ensuring the roll out of the COVID Vaccination in the Wolverhampton area. He is one of our very valued Dermatologist and we are delighted that his efforts have been recognised. Dr Rafiq has been giving the COVID vaccine in a culturally sensitive setting to encourage more black and ethnic communities to get the life saving vaccine. Having a community-based clinic has aided communication and helped with language barriers. The clinic has given hundreds of people the first dose of the COVID-19 injection. A well-deserved congratulations to Dr Rafiq and keep up the fantastic work! To read the full article: https://www.expressandstar.com/news/health/coronavirus-covid19/2021/02/18/hundreds-receive-life-saving-covid-19-jab-in-faith-setting-clinics/

We are delighted to announce that we have been featured in the London’s Stock Exchange’s ‘1000 companies to inspire Britain List 2020’. It is an annual celebration to pay tribute to the most dynamic small and medium-sized enterprises across the UK. The report emphasizes the vital role of SMEs driving economic growth in term of innovation, employment, and future development. Having faced such a challenging year with the current pandemic and providing necessary support for the forever pressured NHS, it is a fantastic recognition into our company’s culture and values of high-quality patient-focused care. This is our second continuing year on the report, and we aim to build on our work from 2020 and strive for further growth. Our successes could not be achieved without our dedicated staff force who work relentlessly to ensure high standards are met and exceeded. We reached several milestones in 2020 and we are excited about what 2021 will bring for Healthharmonie. ​ For the full article: https://flipbooks.bbpmedia.co.uk/156341/156592/242999/TheBusinessPostMidlandsEdition91/index.html?page=36

At HealthHarmonie, our primary goal is to put the patient at the forefront of everything that we do. From our clinics, head office, and call centres the message is simple, the patient will always come first, and we will always give our 100% to deliver them the best possible outcomes. The high standard of care that we do achieve can be put down to our staff collaboratively working towards this one goal. All companies face their challenges, and HealthHarmonie is no different. However, overcoming hurdles is a much simpler process when all staff members work collectively and efficiently, pushing each other along the way to achieve our goal. One member of HealthHarmonie who embodies a team working spirit is our Minor Surgery Clinical Lead Dr. Gabriel, who states: "Since I joined HH, specifically taking the role of the clinical lead in minor surgery, we have been selecting the best professionals to join the team, everyone working to the best of their capabilities. Therefore, we have managed to create such a dynamic and highly skilled team of professionals. It is a buzzing and buoyant environment, providing us all with encouragement and a great deal of job satisfaction. We have become the example of achievements to other health provider competitors." ​ Dr. Gabriel always makes a point of referring to his HealthHarmonie colleagues as family. This is a reflection of the strong bond he has formed with HealthHarmonie throughout the years by overcoming healthcare challenges and delivering positive patient outcomes together. He states: "Please allow me to point at and elaborate on why using the word "family" is key. This is because it is the way I feel whilst working at HealthHarmonie. Family isn't always blood. I remember once, I was sharing in a meeting about leadership, and I raised the point that I have two families, each with different dimensions, a different passion, compassion, and attraction. However, both perhaps share the same principles. The guests were humbled when I explained that I was privileged with the "ethos of 2 families": a family at home and a family at work." ​ Having faith in his team and knowing that their work is making a positive difference in healthcare, Dr. Gabriel goes on the state. "When I work at HealthHarmonie, I don't get the feeling of being tired or exhausted, neither mentally nor physically, no matter how long the day is or how stressful it could be. However, I must acknowledge my limitations - my body can only take so much! On the contrary, I get a great deal of fulfillment, giving me enormous joy." ​ As a healthcare provider, it gives us tremendous pride when our patients share this positivity and joy. This can be seen in our recent patient feedback comments including – Absolutely Great Treatment "I attended for excisions. Wonderful, knowledgeable, and very experienced. I worried about this procedure, but it just was not a problem. Wonderful caring people." Fabulous Staff and Wonderful Service "Wonderful staff who took the time to explain the procedure and why I was having it done. They explained about aftercare, and nothing was too much trouble. This was my third visit to HealthHarmonie. I highly recommend them." ​ Dr. Gabriel finally goes on to share, "I like to use the word family, as it would express one's feeling working in a large team. It is resemblant of several different organs joining together to form one body. Each organ works together in harmony to fulfill a specific goal. Likewise, in our team, we care and protect each other, with full insight into the broader picture. I hope that the sense of satisfaction and fulfillment driven by the ethos of one body and one family would remain and never ends. I must say that I don't see why it shouldn't last as all members of the minor surgery team feel this way." ​ We aim to maintain this strong workplace mentality by delivering the best possible services that we can with pride! As for all of our patients, we thank them for coming along on this journey with us and hope that we can all display the same amount of positivity that Dr. Gabriel does!

The Primary Care Women's Health Forum (PCWHF) has released new guidance on the management of Heavy Menstrual Bleeding (HMB) in primary care. HMB can interfere with a woman's physical, social, emotional and/or material quality of life. It can occur alone or in combination with other symptoms. It is a common condition, however, is often surrounded by stigma. HMB affects 1 in 5 women, and 43% take time off work due to heavy bleeding. It is one of the most common reasons for referral into our community gynaecology services. To find out more about how you can manage HMB within Primary Care as a GP, please access the resources here https://pcwhf.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Top-tips-HMB-3.pdf

HealthHarmonie are pleased to share that our orthopaedics clinical lead Mr Mamdouh Morgan has been awarded the “BOA Presidential Merit Award 2020”. The British Orthopaedic Association (BOA), the professional body in the UK, has unanimously awarded Mr Morgan the “BOA Presidential Merit Award 2020” for his outstanding contribution and service to Trauma and Orthopaedics in the UK. They particularly recognised his work in training and education, and his commitment towards raising the profile of the SAS Grade (Staff Grade, Associate Specialists & Specialty Doctors). Mr Morgan was nominated in 2014 by the British Orthopaedic Association (BOA) President to join the BOA Council, the BOA Education Committee and the BOA Training Standards Committee as a national SAS surgeon’s representative. His role involves strategic development of the SAS doctors in trauma and orthopaedics with the view of restructuring this grade for better patient care in the UK. He is keen on ensuring a suitable environment of “Training for All” with SAS surgeons receiving similar resources for training, education, and CPD as other training surgeons. Mr Morgan was the first orthopaedic surgeon to join our team at HealthHarmonie in January 2016. He contributed to the development of our minor surgery services, particularly hand surgery, with his Colleagues, including Dr Ramez Gabriel, to provide high-quality care for patients in the West Midlands. He is a long-standing member of our team. Mr Morgan is a senior orthopaedic surgeon in Birmingham, working at University Hospital Birmingham. He graduated in Egypt in 1984 and started his orthopaedic career in the Army in 1986, then joined the 4‐year High Residency Programme in an Orthopaedic surgery in Cairo. He obtained an MSc in Orthopaedic Surgery at the end of his training. ​ Since this Mr Morgan has achieved many academic successes including the FRCS from the Royal College of Surgeons (Glasgow) in 1996, the MSc (Surgery of Trauma) from the University of Birmingham in 1998, the MSc (Orthopaedic Engineer) from Cardiff University in 2002, the MCh (Orthopaedics) from the University of Liverpool in 2003, the PG Cert (Leadership & Management) from Keele University in 2012, the PG Diploma (Medical Education) from the University of Birmingham in 2012 and the PG Diploma (Sports & Exercise Medicine) from the University of Bath in 2013. ​ Possessing a passion and commitment to the SAS Grade Mr Morgan firmly believes that SAS doctors have the potential to contribute more within their grade and participate in leading change in the NHS for better patient care. ​ As Associate Postgraduate Dean for SAS Doctors, Mr Morgan’s mission is “To promote a Strategic and Professional Approach to ensure all postgraduate education results in better patient care and service”. He has a clear strategic vision for the training, educational and developmental needs of SAS doctors. He ensures that educational activity for SAS doctors is incorporated into the assessment of Royal Colleges and the CESR application process. ​ Mr Morgan was also the COPMeD Lead Associate Dean for SAS Doctors leading the educational and career progress of SAS doctors across the UK (2013 – 2017). He acts as a point of contact between the Postgraduate Medical Deans and several other prominent national medical organisations and stakeholders. ​ In 2019, Mr Morgan was a member of the national SAS working group, who delivered the first published Health Education England (HEE) document regarding SAS doctors’ development: “Maximising the Potential: essential measures to support SAS doctors”. Mr Morgan strongly believes in developing all‐rounded SAS doctors both in clinical and non-clinical aspects. He collaborated with Keele University to develop three long‐term programmes for SAS Doctors. Firstly, he delivered an intensive 5‐year leadership programme which followed the Medical Leadership Competency Framework. Next, Mr Morgan developed a unique programme titled ‘Leadership and Diversity in the NHS’ for SAS doctors, which aimed to address the development of cultural intelligence and diversity in teams within the work environment. Lastly, Mr Morgan organised a “Leading in the Political World” programme which focused on increasing SAS doctors’ political environment awareness in the NHS and how to utilise their political intelligence to maximise and achieve the best for their service. Mr Morgan is passionate about leading SAS Doctors in the region to ensure that the education needs of the staff are met and that SAS doctors can contribute effectively to the delivery of service within the region.

In March 2020, following a competitive tender process, HealthHarmonie were notified that we have been successfully added to the Outsourced Clinical Services Framework. We were particularly proud to see that we scored within the top 4 of all providers awarded a place on the Framework! Over the past 2 months, we have been working closely with the NHS Shared Business Team to get everything set up for the Framework so that we can begin to work with buyers. The Framework allows NHS Trusts to establish contracts with suppliers for outsourced clinical work without the need for lengthy procurement processes. This means that as a buyer, you can achieve a quick turnaround of award of contracts and avoid the lengthy stages of procurement. What is the Framework? As part of our bid to be added to the Framework, HealthHarmonie has already undergone all vetting and checks to demonstrate our competence in service delivery, as well as demonstrating we have all of the appropriate contractual requirement in place, such as CQC registration, insurance and a number of core policies. This means that buyers can be assured that we are a safe, efficient and high-quality service provider. ​ The Framework is live now and you are able to access it via NHS Shared Business. When can it be used? We are offering all of our services through the Framework, and this includes dermatology, gynaecology, ophthalmology, orthopaedic surgery, plastics and maxillofacial surgery and cataracts. What services are we offering through the Framework? If you are not registered to as a buyer to use the Framework, don’t worry! If you are interested in accessing the Framework, use the contact form below and a member of our team will get in touch with you to assist in getting you registered – the process its very quick and easy! What if I am not registered to use the Framework? ​Great! If you are interested in working with use via the Framework please use the below contact form to register your interest. Our Head of Integrated Care Solutions will be in touch with you to discuss further.

It’s not uncommon for spots to appear in times of stress, and when a person with acne is particularly tense, more oil is produced, causing the hair follicles to clog and more acne to form. Sebum is the oily substance that mixes with dead skin cells and bacteria to block the hair follicles. It’s not clear whether the cells that produce sebum have receptors for the stress hormone, but its increased presence on the skin leads to increased redness, inflammation, and a pimple or an acne cyst to form. Often, stress and acne can interact in a harmful cycle. When you’re anxious or stressed, you are more likely to aggravate the skin by picking your spots or acne. This can result in excessive scarring, which is called acne excoriate. Acne is a chronic long-term skin condition, and it requires regular treatment topically or orally. Treatment will not reduce stress, and it’s advisable for patients to seek support in managing their stress levels. Nevertheless, when acne is treated and cleared, patient will have nothing to pick. ​ So how can we avoid stress and deploy coping strategies when it arises? The first thing to do is to recognise stressors and the cause of discontent. From here, there are several things that we can do, and we've got some ideas to get you started: ​ Eliminate stressors Can you identify triggers in your life? Once you’ve identified pressures, assess what can be eliminated or reduced. We often take on unnecessary responsibilities that cause anxiety and contribute very little to our wellbeing, and cramming everything in leads to rushing around. Go easy on your self, cutback, and slow down. ​ Take control and accept the things that you can’t change It’s easy to feel helpless when under stress, but remaining passive won't help. There may be things that you can’t change, but focusing on what you can do to manage or influence a stressful situation will help to dispel the disconcerting feelings that come with the perception of being out of control. Avoid unhealthy habits Smoking, excess drinking, and binge eating are just a few of the unhealthy habits that can creep into our lives in taxing times, and it’s surprising how we can become reliant on these harmful coping mechanisms to manage stress. Try making positive lifestyle choices that coincide with improving your wellbeing. ​ Exercise improves sleep and causes the body to produce endorphins known to present stress-busting benefits. ​ Exercise Being active is a wonderful way to reduce the emotional intensity that clouds our judgment and hinders our ability to effectively manage challenging periods. Exercise improves sleep and causes the body to produce endorphins known to present stress-busting benefits. ​ Do something you enjoy Reserving time in our busy schedules to do the things that we enjoy is important to maintaining a positive outlook. Even if you can only set aside 20 minutes a day to read, practice a musical instrument, or complete another activity that brings you joy, you must take a break and remember not to neglect your hobbies. ​ Try something new Getting stuck into something new can be a great way to build self-confidence and resilience. By continually learning, you’ll realise newfound determination and find the belief that you’re capable of overcoming even the toughest of challenges. ​ Spend time with friends and family Friends and family can be a great source of encouragement in times of difficulty, and spending time with those close to you can ease your worries. Talking things out can often be beneficial, and others can provide support and an alternative perspective on your troubles. ​ Remain positive We tend to overlook the positives in life when we’re stressed and focus on the negative. In such times, it can be useful to take some time to appreciate what we have. Try considering the things that you’re grateful for and make a note of a few of them each day. ​ Prioritise your workload If taking a break or slowing down isn’t an option, prioritising your workload and organising your time is essential when incoming jobs never seem to let-up. Complete the most pressing tasks first and set realistic targets. ​ You can find more information about acne and managing stress via the NHS website.

We’re now offering Advice and Guidance (A&G) to referrers as part of our community dermatology services commissioned by Herts Valleys, Bassetlaw, and South Warwickshire CCGs. The facility is accessible via the NHS e-Referral Service, and by providing primary care providers access to specialist clinical advice, we can help clinicians ‘get it right first time’ (GIRFT) with regards to their patient's care. There’s a disparity between hospital referrals nationally, suggesting that some patient's referrals could be managed more effectively. A report published by NHS England in August 2017 states that according to NHS Digital data on current A&G usage, GPs refer only 23% of patients to secondary care following receipt of specialist A&G. 74% of patients are referred to secondary care, where no response is received. ​ A&G improves integration and helps to ensure that patients get the care they need in the right place, at the right time, and as quickly as possible. It’s part of a wider project to develop new ways of working to manage the increased demand for elective care, and referrers can seek advice on treatment plans and interpretation of results, and receive guidance on the appropriateness of referrals and tests. ​ The service benefits all involved. For patients, A&G can help avoid unnecessary and inconvenient trips to the hospital. This is because, with the right guidance, their GP may be able treat their condition more quickly, closer to home. If a referral is necessary, referrers can ensure that their patient is referred to correct provider first time around. Overall, the patient will likely have more control over their care, and have a better experience and outcome as a result. ​ Where referrers are concerned, A&G means less administrative work, improved interpretation of results, and better long-term outcomes for patients. It affords education and supports informed decision making while nurturing positive working relationships with discipline specialists. For care providers, A&G improves referral quality and simplifies triaging processes. It ensures that patients referred to their care are the most suitable patients for the service being provided. The capacity of services is improved, and providers can greater specialise their services and best provide for the patients who need it. ​ Commissioners benefit too, as A&G improves the outcomes of clinical pathways and ensures the utilisation of the most cost-effective delivery methods. ​ If you have any questions about A&G, please do not hesitate to get in touch via our contact us page. ​ ​

This week marks cervical cancer awareness week. Instead of writing a blog with what it is, I have decided to share my personal journey. I was born and bred in South Africa and moved to the United Kingdom at the age of 28. Cervical screening programmes back then was not on the national agenda of the department of health of the South African government, so incidentally I never had a cervical screening test. Yes, I am a nurse, but this was not on my list of priorities. ​ I had my second child at the age of 30 and 6 months after his birth, I had my first cervical cytology screen test at my G.P practice. The result came back, it was CIN 1. ​ My heart sank. I thought I had cervical cancer. Panic stricken I contacted G.P and she booked me in for a colposcopy at the practice. She was a G.P with a specialist interest in colposcopy. It was a straightforward examination and she assured me that I had the healthiest cervix she had ever seen and explained the various diagnosis and results pertaining cytology reports. My repeat test was normal when repeated 6 months after the colposcopy and have been normal ever since. I attend when called every 3 years. ​ I am fortunate to live in a country where routine screening is offered freely. My cousin was not so lucky. At the tender age of 32 she lost her battle against cervical cancer approximately 5 months after she was diagnosed with stage 4 cervical cancer. She too never had a cervical screening test and was diagnosed when she saw a doctor with complaints of lower abdominal and back pain and irregular bleeding which she ignored for months. Maybe the outcome would have been different for her and for us as a family if screening campaigns were more robust in South Africa, maybe not but we won’t dwell on it. ​ This is not intended to scare you all but to raise awareness of the importance of reducing your risk of getting cervical cancer. A disease that is preventable. It is freely available here in the United Kingdom and cervical cancer often present with no symptoms initially. ​ You can reduce your risk by attending your screening appointment when you receive one, knowing the symptoms of cervical cancer and seeking medical attention, and taking up the HPV vaccination between age 11-18. ​ Some recognisable symptoms include: abnormal bleeding during or after sexual intercourse or bleeding between your period (menstrual cycle), post-menopausal bleeding (if you are not on hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) or have stopped your HRT for 6 weeks or more), unusual vaginal discharge, discomfort or pain during sexual intercourse, and lower back pain. ​ For further advice, visit Jo’s trust: www.jostrust.org.uk or call their helpline, 0808 802 8000.

We’ve been celebrating our CQC success today and congratulating our staff for their hard work and dedication. The regulatory body inspected our services towards the end of last year and awarded us a ‘Good’ score overall and in all five of their measurement areas: safe, effective, caring, responsive, and well-led. It’s been a pleasure to celebrate with our staff and hear from our Managing Director, Andrew Jackman, as we strive for further milestone achievements in the future.

We marked the end of Cervical Cancer Prevention Week 2020 with a sponsored 5KM walk and fun-run. The event took place at Cannon Hill Park, Edgbaston, on 25th January, and raised vital funds for Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust. Our Managing Director, Andrew Jackman, and Chairman, Mary Corridan, took part in the event and celebrated its completion with colleagues (and coffee!) in the Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) café. Thank you and well done to the event participants and those who supported them in raising funds for such a worthy cause. If you would like to donate to Jo’s Trust, you can do so via their website: https://bit.ly/37BzXac

As a healthcare company, we feel it is our duty to support the NHS in any way possible. We do this through our community-based healthcare services, but also through our single point of access pathways. What is a single point of access? Simply put, a single point of access is when we are commissioned by the local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to organise patient referrals and determine the appropriate course of treatment; this is called triaging. For example, in Nottingham we run a single point of access for ophthalmology and review all referrals before directing patients onto the correct care pathway. We receive referrals for patients presenting conditions that are suitable for treatment within our community service. Some patients, on the other hand, are determined to present conditions best suited to the care administered by an alternative provider (i.e. the local hospital) and we will onward refer these patients as appropriate following review of their referral. ​ The benefits of single point of access We use a single point of access for triaging referrals, creating many benefits for the local community. This means that local NHS services do not have to triage as we do this for them using our own clinical experts. With this, clinicians and nurses have more time to deliver quality, face-to-face care to patients. A single point of access provides one location for GP referrals to be sent to, decreasing the chances of confusion, reducing the number of patients directed onto inappropriate care pathways and improving the efficiency of the GP. GPs should still refer directly to secondary care if red flag symptoms are suspected. ​ A single point of access allows us to direct patient referrals to the right place, first time. Fewer incorrect referrals will lead to a more accurate healthcare service, streamlining efficiency when delivering patient appointments on time. With our multi-disciplinary triaging team, we are able to cover all operational corners of the healthcare system within the area, whether this be a local practice, hospital or GP group, providing a unitary network that links all different levels of care. Through this united access, we ensure smooth communication when it comes to sorting patient data, leaving ‘you’ with an efficient service that delivers on time. ​ Hospitals are often overloaded with miscommunicated referrals. Sometimes, these involve patients with less-severe conditions being referred to hospitals instead of a more appropriate community service and in such instances, the hospital is required to cover a larger number of patients which could otherwise be directed more efficiently. With our single point of access, we oversee referral destinations after triage and are therefore able to ensure that non-severe referrals are being seen in the correct place instead of in hospitals. This leaves hospitals to focus on severe and urgent conditions that cannot be treated within local practices. ​ By providing a single point of access for referrals, we can extract data that can be used to help improve services across the community. For example, we can measure the amount of gynaecology referrals and any increases of treatment type in a specific area. We can navigate improvements accordingly through identifying local patient needs identified in our trend analysis or inform relevant services, such as hospitals, on this data and how best they could approach dealing with trends in the future. Ultimately, this improves provider insight into healthcare and this analysis is just one of the ways we help support the CCG in the delivery of safe and quality patient care. ​ Moving forward HealthHarmonie has an innate passion to diversify and expand our services to help the NHS wherever possible. We are continually developing our approaches to our single point of access and, in the future, we aim to work with other CCGs to implement this innovation so that we can further support the country’s healthcare services by streamlining efficiency of referral organisation and interlinking multiple levels of care into one unitary system. ​ If you have any questions about our services or our single point of access innovation, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0121 454 7779 or via our contact us page. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​